Love is an Art
by Deidara'sgirl19
Summary: Ayame accidentally killed her parents and becomes a rogue ninja. She then meets Deidara and Sasori while traveling. Deidara then begins to fall in love with her. Rated M for language and minor sexual themes in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Massacre**

My POV

"Ayame! Get down here this instant!" my mom yelled. 'augh…' I didn't feel like dealing with her yelling. I was tempted to escape through the window to my room. "Why?" I screamed. At that point, my mom was angry. "Your father wants you to do some kekkei genkai training!" I slowly walk outside to see my father in his ninja clothes. "You're late…" was all he said. He looked really annoyed. My father has always had a short temper. "You're the only one in the Kusanabe clan that hasn't mastered your kekkei genkai! You have brought shame to this family! You are just like your…" I saw my mom give him the evil eye. "…Nevermind." "I don't give a fuck." I replied. "Don't push me, kid…I won't hesitate to kill you." He said. My mom looked scared. "Dear, don't be so hasty…she's only a child." I hate it when they fight. I decided to practice. "Fine, I'll practice! Just stop yelling." "…start by concentrating. I will throw kunai and shuriken at you, first." My father replied. I did what he told me to do. Then he threw a barrage of kunai and shuriken at me. When I opened my eyes, the kunai and shuriken were repelled. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. I didn't concentrate hard enough, so the weapons were flying directly at my mom. "Ahhhh!" My mom screamed. "Nooooo!" My father quickly raced to her aid, but it was too late…she was dead. "YOU! I should have killed you off the moment you were born." All of a sudden, he came at me with a kunai in his hand. I became terrified. Not knowing what was going on, I lashed my hand out to protect myself, and I accidently surged lightning chakra through my arm, which instantly decapitated him. When I opened my eyes, blood was everywhere. I soon drifted into a daze. Others of the Kusanabe clan came onto the scene. When they saw me drenched in my parents' blood, they became terrified and some of them tried to attack me, the majority of them ran off. I managed to escape into the forest that surrounded my homeland. And just like that, I became a missing-nin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Encounter**

My POV

It has only been a day since I killed my parents, and I was getting hungry. I needed to find some food fast, or I would soon pass out from hunger. Just then, I felt the ground shake. 'Must be an earthquake…' I thought. However, this was no ordinary earthquake. It was soft, and I heard faint sounds that sounded like explosions not too far away. I decided to follow where the sound was coming from. However, I was at my limit…a few minutes after I began searching for the source of the explosions, I collapsed.

…

"Hey, you okay, hmmm?" A voice said to me. I was so weak that I had trouble opening my eyes. When I opened them, I saw a young man with long blonde hair, with bangs covering his left eye, a ponytail on the top of his head, and greenish-blue eyes. I desperately tried to stand up, but my legs were shaking. Then the young man saw that I was having trouble, and he grabbed my arm to help me up. "Don't push yourself. You look very weak, hmmm." He said. I nodded. "Why don't you come with me? I was going to get some food, anyway, hmmm." I was hesitant at first, but I was really hungry, so I agreed to go with him. I followed him to a wooded area. Underneath a tree, I could see something that looked like a puppet sitting underneath it. It had a huge scorpion tail. "Deidara…you know not to keep me waiting," the puppet said boredly. "Sorry, Sasori-danna, hmmm, but I found a girl collapsed on the floor. I couldn't leave her, hmmm." Deidara replied back. "I don't want to deal with another loudmouthed brat. Leave her and let's go." Sasori said annoyed. "But…" Deidara began to say, but Sasori cut him off, "don't make me repeat myself, Deidara." "But I'll take care of her, you won't have to do anything much, hmmm," Deidara replied back. "…fine. But only if _you _take care of her." Deidara nodded. "So where are we going to eat?" Deidara asked. "There's a small village nearby. Go look for some food there, and don't keep me waiting." Sasori said. Deidara nodded, grabbed my hand, and pulled me toward the village. I began to blush a little. When we got there, there was a dango stand. We ate some dango, and hurried back before Sasori got annoyed. On our way back, I began to shiver. Where I lived, it was hardly ever cold. "Are you cold, hmmm?" I looked up at Deidara. "A l…little." I replied. He then took off his black and red cloak and put it around me. "Better, hmmm?" I was shocked that he would go through the trouble of making sure I was warm. But what he said next really shocked me. "You know, in the moonlight, you're really pretty, hmmm." I felt my face heat up. I remained silent until we met back with Sasori. "You're sooner than I expected," Sasori replied. "Let's get going. The others are waiting for us for the information we gathered." "So we get to fly now?" Deidara said excitedly. 'Fly? How are we going to fly?' I thought to myself. "Yes…" Sasori said. The next thing I knew, I saw Deidara reach into a pouch on his waist and he pulled out what looked like clay. He mushed it into his hands and when he threw it, it turned into a giant clay bird! There was only one problem…I am scared of heights. "Do you want some help up, hmmm?" Deidara asked. I nodded, and he picked me up and we both landed on the bird. Sasori jumped on after we did. "Here we go!" Deidara yelled. When I looked down, we were at least 1000 feet above the ground. I was so scared, I unconsciously sat down and held tight onto Deidara's upper thigh. He looked shocked, but saw that I was deathly afraid of being up in the air. He allowed me to keep my arms and hands where they were, but his face turned really red. He smiled at me, as if saying that everything was going to be fine, and I smiled back. Sasori looked at us and smirked.

Deidara's POV

My face feels like it's on fire. She looks beautiful even when she's afraid. Eventually, she fell asleep…still clinging to my leg. It was already nightfall, and I was wondering when we will be back at the Akatsuki hideout. "Hey, Sasori-danna, when are we going to get back to the hideout? Ayame fell asleep and she's not used to this weather. She might get sick, hmmm." Sasori just smirked at me. "We will be at the hideout by morning, so stop worrying about your girlfriend." "What? She's not my girlfriend!" I yell back, with my face turning red again. "I can see it on your face, Deidara. You love her, and you want to…" "Don't finish that sentence, Sasori-danna! So what if I love her!" I yelled back. Sasori smirked, and then shrugged. "Don't mention that you love her in front of the others, especially not Itachi-san." I nodded and looked down at Ayame-chan. Sasori saw the look of worry on my face and said boredly, "don't worry; I will make an excuse as to why she is with us. Maybe Leader will allow her to be part of the Akatsuki." "…thanks, Sasori-danna, hmmm." I said back to him with joy. I looked at Ayame-chan the rest of the way there. 'She's beautiful even when she sleeps, hmmm.' When I looked up after a couple of hours, I noticed that we had finally arrived to the hideout. I quietly woke up Ayame-chan and we went inside…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Friendship and Fear**

My POV

I was holding onto Deidara's arm when we walked into the Akatsuki hideout. I didn't want to meet the other members. When we went into the main room, I saw a raven-haired man reading a book, a blue fish-like man watching TV, a silver-haired man polishing a huge scythe, and a man with most of his face covered counting money (I didn't notice it at first, but there was also a plant-like guy hanging from the ceiling). "We're back with some information regarding the next target." Sasori said boredly. Everyone looked up at him. "You're late, Sasori…" the raven-haired man said. "Sorry, but we sort of…ran into a little obstacle along the way," Sasori replied back. All of a sudden, the fish guy spoke out, "Hey! Who's that hanging onto Deidara's arm?" Sasori had a nervous look on his face, but replied, "That's the obstacle. Deidara found her collapsed on the floor and thought it be nice to help her out." 'What is Sasori-danna doing?'Deidara thought to himself. At that point, I was petrified. "Don't we keep telling you not to bring in worthless trash? Kill her so we can move on with our lives…" The raven-haired man said. "She's not worthless trash, so lay off, Itachi-san, hmmm!" Deidara yelled, obviously without thinking, because Sasori started shaking his head back and forth. "What did you say to me, Deidara?" Itachi demanded. "Isn't it obvious, Itachi-san? It seems our Deidara has a crush on this young woman." The fish guy said. "I do not, Kisame-san, hmmm!" Was all Deidara managed to say. I started to blush, as was Deidara. Kisame smirked, and went back to watching TV. "What does it matter if she stays here or not? Like anyone gives a fuck what Deidara does?" The silver-haired guy said. "Come on Hidan, you just want there to be a pretty woman here so you can get inside her pants." The money-obsessed guy said. "Shut the fuck up, Kakuzu! It's against my religion to fall in love with or to fuck anyone, remember?" Hidan yelled. Kakuzu just smirked, "Are you sure that's not just an excuse to be a pervert?" Hidan looked really angry, but he quit talking about it. Just then, a shadowy figure (Pain) emerged from the hallway. "What the hell is all of this yelling about?" The shadow yelled impatiently. "Deidara brought in a woman." Kisame said. Deidara looked scared, as if he knew what was coming. "Please Leader, let her stay, hmmm." Deidara pleaded. Everyone except for Hidan and Sasori groaned. "Hmmm…" Pain was thinking it through. Sasori tried to reason with him, "She may have skills that might be useful to us. We can keep her here and see what she is capable of before making the decision." Finally, Pain stopped thinking. "Very well, Sasori. However, there will be strict rules for her. One, she will stay in her own room, which will be locked at night. Two, every morning she will train her skills against one of you. And three, she is not allowed to leave the hideout unless told otherwise." Sasori bowed to Pain's decision. "Deidara and Sasori, meet me in my office. Hidan, show Ayame to her room." Hidan nodded and grabbed me by the arm. He took me to a room at the end of the hall. It was equipped with a bed, a bathroom, and a small window. "This will be your room. Deidara's room is across the way." Hidan said to me. He started to leave, but I held onto his arm. "What?" He yelled. "Can I ask you a few questions before you leave?" I replied. He looked confused at first, but we both went into my room and sat on the bed. "What kind of questions?" He asked me. "Who's the guy with the piercing red eyes and the raven hair? He looks familiar to me…" I asked. "…Oh, his name is Itachi Uchiha. You should stay the fuck away from him. He can kill someone just by looking at you, and he won't hesitate, either." That name sounded familiar to me, and then I remembered. "You mean _the_ Itachi Uchiha that massacred his clan, only leaving one survivor?" Hidan looked surprised that I knew that. "Yeah. Anything else you want to know?" I decided to ask him one more question before letting him go. "What are the other Akatsuki members like?" Hidan began thinking, clearly annoyed with me, but answered anyway. "Well… Kisame loves to fight and has an average personality ( ), Zetsu is a cannibal and has a split personality (X_X), Sasori is impatient and lazy (XD), Kakuzu is greedy and has a killing instinct and is also a fucking heathen in my book (O.O), I'm short tempered and very religious (T_T), and Deidara is overconfident, childish, somewhat immature, and a bit of a pervert (. / / /.)." '…pervert?' "Umm, how is Deidara a pervert?" I asked him. "He has mouths on his hands and when he touches you, you feeling something licking you." '…' "Ohhh…" "Thank you for the information, Hidan." I told him. "No problem." And with that, he left. I lay down on my bed and slowly drifted to sleep, still thinking about a lot of what Hidan told me. 'I wonder what Deidara and Sasori are talking about with Leader…'

Deidara's POV

I followed Sasori-danna into Rei-dono's office. "Sasori, what information do you have on this girl?" Rei-dono asked Sasori. "Not very much, sir. I looked up some information on her…" 'He did?' I thought to myself. "…and found out that before she left her village, she accidently murdered her mother and father while practicing to control her kekkei genkai. The other members of her clan tried to kill her, but she managed to escape." "I see. Very well, her first day of training shall begin tomorrow. Come up with a schedule for her and who will fight her first. She will learn how to control her kekkei genkai, first. Understood?" Rei-dono asked. Sasori and I nodded. "Good. You may leave." As we left, I was shocked to find out about what happened to her. "Sasori-danna, are you sure that she will want to practice her kekkei genkai after what has happened to her, hmmm?" I asked. Sasori shrugged. "We'll have to see tomorrow… and stop worrying about your 'girlfriend'." "She is not my girlfriend, hmmm!" I replied. Sasori just smirked. "You know you love her…" "Let's leave the harassing for tomorrow, shall we, hmmm…" I said. "Heh…fine." Sasori said back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Training**

My POV

It was morning, and Deidara came to wake me up. "Ayame-chan, wake up, hmmm." Deidara said. I slowly got out of bed and changed into my ninja clothes. I had heard about the special training I had to go through, and I was not thrilled. Deidara came walking into my room. "Hey, Ayame-chan. Did you sleep well, hmmm?" He asked. I nodded. "I'm glad, hmmm." I started to blush, and when I looked up, I saw that he was blushing, too. He then grabbed my hand and took me to the training ground. It turned out that Hidan was right… I did feel something lick my hand. I decided not to say anything. As we got to the training ground, the other Akatsuki members were already there, including Hidan, Sasori, and Itachi. However, Sasori didn't have that scorpion tail or the puppet. Instead, he had red hair and bored looking eyes that looked rather cute. But I could tell it was Sasori because his chakra felt the same as his puppet's chakra. Sasori then stepped forward. "Okay, we are here to train Ayame. I have made up a schedule as to who will be fighting her. The schedule goes as follows: Deidara, then Hidan, then me, then Kisame, then Zetsu, then Kakuzu, and finally, Itachi, any questions?" "Yeah, can you tell Deidara to not go easy on her? He probably doesn't want to injure his girlfriend." Kisame yelled. Everyone started laughing. Deidara wasn't amused. "She is not my girlfriend, hmmm!" I began to blush again and lowered my head a little so the others couldn't see. Sasori tried to break it up. "Now's not the time to be making jokes, whether they are true or not." Deidara just scowled at Kisame, and walked onto the training ground across from where I was standing. "Begin…" Sasori said. At that time, I was doing hand signs for my jutsu. At the same time, Deidara grabbed some clay and the mouth on his left hand started chewing it into the form of a bird. He then used chakra to make the bird bigger and got on top of it. "Hey, Sasori-danna, art is supposed to last only for a moment, hmmm? Are you impressed?" Deidara yelled to Sasori. "Fool. Art lasts forever, and if Ayame-san doesn't defeat you, then I will take her place!" Sasori yelled back at him. While Deidara was distracted, I finished weaving my hand-signs. I figured that Deidara used Earth-style jutsu. Since I used Lightning-style, it was an easy win. "Lightning-style: Lightning Shockwave!" I yelled. Lightning Shockwave is unavoidable, moving faster than the speed of sound. It's a jutsu that only people of my clan know. It's where the user turns the air around the enemy(s) into invisible lightning, causing shockwaves to form throughout the enemy's body. It almost entirely causes death, but only if the user wants the enemy to die. Deidara realized that he was at a disadvantage and tried to fly higher up, hoping that the lightning couldn't reach him. However, he felt the lightning surge through his entire body, causing him excruciating pain. He screamed with pain until the jutsu was over, then fell off of his bird and landed on his back onto the training ground. The other Akatsuki members just looked at me and realized that I don't go easy on anybody, not even my friends. Unfortunately, I was taught that going easy on someone was like insulting them, as if saying that they were weak. Sasori looked shocked for a moment, but nodded his head at me, showing that I had won. "Okay, we will pick up again tomorrow with Ayame battling against Hidan. I will take Deidara to the medical room." With that, everyone left. Worried about Deidara, I decided to follow Sasori to the medical room. "Ummm, how is Deidara?" Sasori just looked at me. "…That was an amazing jutsu you did. Deidara is unconscious at the moment." Sasori then laid Deidara down on a table and started examining him. He looked sad. "…Deidara's chakra network is irregular. He won't be able to use jutsu for awhile. Also, he has massive burns from the lightning both inside and outside of his body." When I heard this, my heart skipped a beat. "But when the other people in my clan used that jutsu, it was really weak. I didn't know it had that much destructive power." Sasori understood. "That must mean that either you can use the jutsu to its full potential without realizing it or that you have an abnormally large chakra supply." I looked at Sasori, then at Deidara. "Is there anything I can help with?" I asked. "I carry some antidote to heal burns with me. Will that help?" Sasori was pondering the question. "We won't know unless we try." At those words, I took out the antidote and poured it down Deidara's mouth. At that moment, most of his burns started to heal. "Most of his burns went away, but his chakra network is still irregular." Sasori explained. Thankfully, I knew a little bit of healing jutsu. "Do you mind if I take off his cloak and shirt? I know a healing technique that can make his chakra network regular again, but I need to touch where his heart is." Sasori smirked and nodded. Sasori and I began to take off his cloak and shirt, and I noticed something on his chest. "What is that?" I asked. Sasori remained silent. I decided to ignore it for now and started doing hand signs for the jutsu. I put my hands on his chest and begun the jutsu. At that point, I felt his chakra returning to normal. "You're blushing, Ayame…" Sasori replied. I felt my face turning red. Sasori smirked. "Uhhh…" I looked down and saw that Deidara was regaining consciousness. "Deidara! I'm so glad you're awake. I'm sorry that I used that jutsu on you, I didn't know it would have such a big effect on you…" I cried. Sasori started to bandage him up. "How are you feeling, Deidara?" He asked. "Not very good, but I will get better, hmmm." Deidara replied. I was so tired, I decided to go to sleep, and let Sasori handle Deidara. I went back to my room.

Deidara's POV

"Ayame-chan…" I whispered. Sasori just smirked. "You want to follow her, don't you?" "No! I was just thinking of something…" I argued. "Just tell her how you really feel about her. I have a feeling that she likes you, too." Sasori said lazily. I blushed. "I don't want to tell her yet, hmmm. Maybe later." Sasori shrugged and went to bed. 'I will tell her, someday…hmmm.' I thought, and went back to my room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The Nightmare**

My POV

'Ahhhh! D-don't kill me, please…nooo!' I was having a weird dream. 'Mother! Father!' I cry. 'You don't deserve to be alive. Even your brother was better than you…' …Brother? 'Wait…what do you mean by brother?' 'You don't remember, do you? Your brother, Kentaro Kusanabe, betrayed the Kusanabe Clan and became a rogue ninja! You're turning into him… now die!' 'Noooo!' I open my eyes and realized that it was all a nightmare. A bone-chilling nightmare. Apparently, I must have been screaming in my sleep, because Deidara came in tiredly and sat next to me. "Is something wrong Ayame-chan, hmmm?" I started crying. "No. Just a nightmare…" At the same time, I was wondering what the nightmare meant. I have a brother? I didn't know what to believe. "Are you sure you're okay?" Deidara asked. I remained silent. Deidara stood up. "If you're alright, then I will go back to bed, hmmm." But as he was getting up, I got up and grabbed his arm. "What, hmmm?" He asked. I began to blush, but I didn't want to go through another experience like that again. "Ummm, can I sleep with you for the night?" Deidara's face turned bright red. "…Sure, Ayame-chan, but I thought you said that you were fine, hmmm?" I giggled. "You have a cute laugh, Ayame-chan, hmmm." He said. I blushed and giggled some more. We then walked back to Deidara's room, together.

Deidara's POV

As she was holding onto my arm, I could feel my face burning up. When we finally got to my room, she immediately laid down on my bed. I got onto the other side. When I lied down next to her, she cuddled up against me, putting her head on my chest. I began to blush. 'She is really beautiful…' I thought. I wanted to tell her how I felt about her, but I just couldn't. I didn't know what was holding me back. I put my arm around her, with my hand touching the small of her back. She opened her eyes and smiled at me. I think she got the fact that I wasn't going to let anything or anyone hurt her, no matter what. And that was the truth. And with that, we both slowly drifted to sleep…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Brother**

My POV

I was still pondering what my nightmare told me. 'Your brother, Kentaro Kusanabe, betrayed the Kusanabe Clan and became a rogue ninja!' That statement has been ringing through my head since the nightmare. It was still pretty early, but I got up anyway, making sure that I didn't wake up Deidara. I decided to make something to eat, hoping that food would get my mind off of it. Why didn't my parents tell me I had a brother? As I was walking back to Deidara's room, I heard a voice from behind me. "What are you doing wandering around so early in the day?" I turned around to see Itachi Uchiha. I was frozen in one spot. "Answer me…" He said to me. "I wanted to get something to eat…in order to get my mind off something." I replied. Itachi just stared at me, as if trying to see whether or not I was telling the truth. I was trying to figure out a way to get out and look for my brother, if, in fact, I have one. But first, I had to figure out a way to get away from Itachi. "…You should get out more; you're beginning to look pale." He said to me. At first, I was shocked. It was like he was reading my mind. "Itachi…I know that I'm not part of the Akatsuki, but can I please go on a mission the next time, I have to uncover the truth." I replied to him. I was really scared at how he was going to react, but I remained firm. "…why not. But if you don't mind me asking, what is it that you are uncovering?" Itachi said back to me. I was hesitant to tell him anything, but knowing that he wouldn't let me go anywhere if I didn't, I had no choice. "I found out that I may have a brother. I want to find him, and I was hoping that if I go on a mission, that I might be able to uncover the truth." I told him. Itachi stared at me with his cold eyes, and replied, "The next mission that comes up, you can join the ones that are assigned on that mission." I was really happy that he understood my feelings. Maybe Itachi wasn't so bad after all. I heard a door open, and Deidara came out of his room. "Ayame-chan, what are you doing here in the middle of the night, hmmm?" He asked me. "Ohhh, I was just talking to…" When I turned back around, Itachi was gone. "Uhhh, nevermind." I then collapsed from sleep deprivation. Deidara came running to my aid. "Ayame-chan! Are you alright, hmmm?" He asked. I nodded weakly. He then picked me up and carried me into his room. "You need some rest, hmmm." He then put me on his bed and lied down next to me. He put his arm around me again and got closer to me. I smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. He looked surprised at me, but before he could say anything, I fell asleep.

Deidara's POV

I can't believe she kissed me. What is this weird sensation I'm feeling? Maybe Sasori-danna was right, maybe I do have feelings for her…


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Mission**

My POV

I wake up to see Deidara sleeping like an angel. I smile at him and I quietly get up. I took a shower, put on some fresh ninja clothes, and I walk into the living room. When I got there Sasori was playing with his puppets, Hidan was lying on the ground with a spear of some sort protruding out of his chest, Kisame and Zetsu were fight over the remote as usual, and Kakuzu was counting money as usual. There was no sign of Itachi. When Sasori saw me, he got up and walked over. "Is Deidara still sleeping?" I nodded. "Damn him. Doesn't he know we have to leave soon for a mission soon?" Sasori then went down the hall and went into Deidara's room. 'A mission! Itachi did say I could go on the next mission…' "Alright, I'm up!" I heard Deidara yell. I walked into Deidara's room and found him on the floor. "We are leaving for a mission soon. Hurry up and get ready." Sasori told him. "Yes, Sasori-danna." Deidara replied back. Deidara then stared at me and blushed. "You look great, Ayame-chan, hmmm." I blushed then, too. Sasori saw us looking at each other and smirked. "If you aren't going to do it Deidara, then I will." Sasori then came from behind me and pushed me forward. I ended up landing on Deidara and our mouths touched. We ended up kissing. When we unlocked our lips from each other, we both turned red. "Sasori-danna, what was that for, hmmm?" Deidara yelled. I was still blushing. "I got tired of waiting and seeing you two blush and stare at each other." Sasori said, still smirking. "Now come on, get ready." Deidara got up and went into the bathroom. Sasori and I walked into the living room. "Why did you do that, Sasori-san?" I asked him. "I know you like him, so I decided to help you out." He said back to me. I blushed again and gave him a huge hug. "Thanks…Sasori-san." He was shocked, but hugged me back. "Heh…don't tell me that _you_ two are a couple now?" We both turned around to see Kisame staring at us. "It's not like that, Kisame-san, just a friendly hug, is all." Sasori said. "Whatever." Kisame muttered. Deidara then came out of his bedroom. "When are we leaving, hmmm?" He asked. All of a sudden, Rei-dono came out from his office. Itachi was with him. "Wait, Sasori, Deidara. Before you go on your mission, I want you to take Ayame with you." Sasori and Deidara looked at each other, then at me, and then back at Rei-dono. "Won't it be too dangerous?" Sasori asked. "Itachi said that this will be a good opportunity to see what Ayame is capable of, instead of having her constantly training." Deidara glared at Itachi with angry eyes. Itachi remained unfazed. "…Very well." Sasori said. I smiled at Itachi, and he smiled at me, though he tried not to show it. "You're mission is to gather information on the Kyuubi and its host, Naruto Uzumaki. Be careful, and failure is not an option." The three of us nodded, and we went off on our mission.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Naruto Uzumaki**

My POV

Sasori-san, Deidara-kun, and I were on our way to a small town near the Land of Fire. I didn't know much about the mission, so I decided to do some information gathering of my own. "Sasori-san, what is a 'Kyuubi'?" He looked at me and said, "The Kyuubi is the Nine-tailed fox, one of the tailed beast spirits that roam the shinobi world. The Kyuubi is the strongest of the nine, and its host is someone named Naruto Uzumaki." I was shocked that such spirits even existed. "And this Naruto Uzumaki, do you know anything about him?" I asked. "Naruto Uzumaki is the Kyuubi's host. However, all we know about him is that he should be twelve years old right now, and that he is a pretty weak shinobi, although his taijutsu level is far above average, hmmm." Deidara explained. "You mean the Akatsuki doesn't even know what village he's from?" I said. "No…however, we have reason to believe that he is from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, because that was the village that the Kyuubi attacked before it was sealed." Sasori said to me. "Itachi knows about both the Kyuubi and Naruto Uzumaki more than anyone in the Akatsuki does, but for some reason he won't tell us." Sasori told me. "Maybe he doesn't want him to be killed?" I stated. Deidara and Sasori looked at me like I was crazy. "Itachi not wanting someone to get killed? As if, hmmm. Sounds more like he just wants to finish off Naruto Uzumaki himself, hmmm." Deidara said. I was thinking everything over. 'Hmmm, Naruto Uzumaki…'


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Embarrassment**

My POV

I asked so many questions, that I didn't even realize that we made it to the town. I've heard of this town. Even though it doesn't have any ninja, it is a town where they specialize in making different kinds of shinobi weapons. "Sasori-danna, can we stay in a hotel this time, hmmm?" Deidara pleaded. "You know I don't like hotels, Deidara." Sasori said annoyed. "But I don't think Ayame-chan is used to sleeping on the floor, hmmm." Deidara said. Sasori began to lose his patience. "Hmph, fine." Sasori said, obviously angry. We decided to look for information the next day, considering the fact that it was sundown. We managed to find a nice hotel, so Sasori paid for a room. When we got up there, there were only two beds. At that point, however, I didn't care. I just wanted a nice bed to land on. I went over to the bed closest to the bathroom and fell on it. "I see Ayame-san has chosen her bed. Deidara, you are to sleep with her." Sasori said, smirking. "WHAT? You don't even need a bed, Sasori-danna, hmmm!" Deidara yelled. "Even I need to be comfortable sometimes, Deidara. I thought you would be excited to sleep with your girlfriend?" Sasori said boredly. Deidara's face turned red (how many times was that now?).

Deidara's POV

"She is not my girlfriend for the hundredth time, hmmm." I said defensively. Sasori started moving toward me. "Fine, then you won't mind if I do this…" All of a sudden, he pushed me onto Ayame, and my hands landed on her chest. She opened her eyes and blushed. "Ayame-chan…" She just stared at me, still blushing. I couldn't take those innocent looking eyes of hers. I got up and tried to casually walk out of the hotel room. "Where are you going, Deidara?" Sasori said. I turned my head towards him. "…Going to get some fresh air, hmmm." I saw Ayame stare at me, her hands around her chest. She must hate me, now. How could Sasori-danna do that to me?

My POV

"What just happened?" I must have fallen asleep. Sasori looked at me. "Deidara is just being immature. I pushed him, he fell onto you and accidently touched your breasts." I blushed. "I remember that, but why did Deidara-kun leave? Where is he going?" I asked. "…Who knows…I know he likes you, it's obvious. I just wish he would suck up his feelings and not care what everyone else thinks about him, for once." Sasori replied. Now that I think about it, Kisame and Kakuzu did make fun of him when they saw me with him…

Deidara's POV

I decided to walk around the town a little bit. This town didn't know about the Akatsuki, so there was nothing to worry about. I was filled with both anger towards Sasori, and embarrassment toward Ayame. "How could Sasori-danna do that to me, hmmm? I could hate him, but what good will that do?" I sighed and decided to walk back to the hotel room, it was already nightfall.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The Confession**

Deidara's POV

When I got back to the room, Ayame was already asleep. I saw Sasori sitting near the window with his eyes closed. I tried to sneak in. "Deidara…I see you're back." I look forward to see Sasori staring at me. "…Sorry I'm late, Sasori-danna. I was just thinking things through, that's all." I told him. "No, I'm sorry, Deidara. I shouldn't have pushed you." Sasori said. I was shocked that he apologized. "Just to let you know, Deidara, if you would just tell Ayame-san how you really feel, I wouldn't have to embarrass you like that." Sasori explained. "But why would you help me, hmmm? There's nothing in it for you." I said. Sasori looked at me with his bored looking eyes and said, "You know I don't like waiting, Deidara…" I smiled. "Now get some rest, Deidara. We need to find some information on the Kyuubi." I nodded and took off my Akatsuki uniform and got into bed with Ayame. She looked really peaceful. When I turned around, Sasori was staring out the window, looking at the stars.

My POV

It was finally morning. When I got up, Deidara was asleep next to me. I blushed and smiled at him. I noticed that Sasori wasn't in the room. 'I wonder where Sasori-san went…' I was so bored that I decided to stare at Deidara and see how long it would take for him to wake up. I slowly got on top of him to look into his eyes, trying carefully not to wake him up (don't ask me why she gets on top of him).

…

It was almost an hour, and not only was Deidara still asleep, but Sasori wasn't back yet. 'Sigh…I'm hungry.' I continued to stare at Deidara (and yes, she is still on top of him). 'He is pretty cute when he sleeps.' I thought to myself. I was still thinking about what happened last night. Just then, Deidara opened his eyes. He saw me on top of him, and he blushed. "Ayame-chan, what are you doing, hmmm?" I looked at him. "I was seeing how long it took until you woke up. You were asleep for almost an hour and a half." I smiled at him, but I noticed that he was sad. "What's wrong, Deidara?" I asked. Deidara just stared at me. "I'm sorry for what I did to you last night. You probably hate me now, hmmm." I was shocked. "How can I hate you, Deidara? You're my friend. Besides, I didn't mind that you touched my…you know. I forgive you." Deidara looked at me and turned the brightest red that I could think of (. / / / .). "You don't mind, hmmm? But I just…" Before he could finish, I kissed him on the lips. His face was still red. When I finished kissing him, I said, "I don't mind because it was an accident, and because I kind of love you." He looked at me and smiled. "Ayame-chan, I love you too, hmmm." We kissed again, and he fell backwards onto the bed, with me on top. His tongue brushed up against mine, and I moaned. I didn't know what I was feeling inside, mainly because I've never fallen in love before, but I didn't want him to stop. He then stopped kissing me and worked his mouth down my neck. I then felt his hand move up my shirt. I moaned again. Just then, I heard the door open. When I looked up, Sasori was staring at us. "Heh…What do we have here, a couple of teenagers making love?" Sasori teased. I immediately got off of Deidara. We both turned red (again?) and stared at Sasori. "Sasori-danna, where were you, hmmm?" Deidara asked. Sasori smirked at him. "Changing the subject, eh Deidara?" Deidara stared at him. "I decided to look into the Kyuubi matter alone, mainly because you were both still asleep and I got tired of waiting for you two to wake up. But I see that you two were happy that I was gone." Deidara's face, as well as mine, turned red again. "Whatever, so can we go back to the Akatsuki hideout, hmmm?" Deidara asked. "Hold up on that, Deidara…" Sasori replied. "…Ayame, I was looking into some information regarding the Kyuubi and its host, when I stumbled upon some information that might interest you." I was confused at first. "What kind of information?" He looked at me. "Information regarding someone named _**Kentaro**_ _**Kusanabe**_. Perhaps you have heard of him?" I was shocked. I just stared at Sasori, and then down at the file he was holding. Deidara looked confused. My hands started to tremble as I reached for the file. When I opened it up and began to read, I couldn't believe my eyes…


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: The Truth**

My POV

I began to read the file, and I almost started to cry. In the file, there was all the information about my brother, as well as the Kusanabe Clan:

Name: Kentaro Kusanabe

Date of Birth: April 17

Age: 18

Blood Type: O

Background: Kentaro Kusanabe was born to Shinta and Yuko Kusanabe. Because he was the son of the most powerful ninja of the Kusanabe Clan, everyone thought that he would be able to save their clan from extinction. However, when Kentaro turned four, the 3rd Great Ninja War began, which killed off many of the Kusanabe Clan. A few years later, when Kentaro turned seven, his father decided to train Kentaro to use his kekkei genkai. Kentaro hardly had any power, and couldn't master his kekkei genkai, the Boshigan, which angered his father, Shinta. Shinta then tried to kill him, showing no regrets. Kentaro then felt hatred towards the Kusanabe Clan, claiming that they only cared about power, and not about the well-being of the people. He showed his dark side even more when he returned a day later, only to kill his mother and half of the remaining people of the Kusanabe Clan. Kentaro then left and became a rogue ninja. His current whereabouts are unknown.

I couldn't believe what I was reading. I saw that there was another sheet of paper underneath Kentaro's profile, so I began reading again…

History of the Kusanabe Clan and its leader, Shinta Kusanabe

The Kusanabe Clan showed up around the time of the 2nd Great Ninja War. The people of the Kusanabe Clan carried with them a kekkei genkai known as the Boshigan, or the Prevention Eye, which can repel any attack and send it back towards the enemy. Many of the shinobi villages realized that they posed a great threat. Thinking that they might become too powerful, some of the shinobi villages, including the Village Hidden in the Leaves, decided to keep a close watch on them. However, something went terribly wrong. The Kusanabe Clan realized that they were being watched and tried to fight the Leaf Village Shinobi, but they were too weak. Many of the Clan was killed, causing undying hatred between the Kusanabe Clan and the Leaf Village. To make matters worse, the Leaf Village sent in the Uchiha Clan, a powerful clan in the Leaf Village specializing in the Sharingan, or the Mirror-wheel Eye, to give an ultimatum to the leader, Shinta, stating that either the Kusanabe Clan surrender to the Leaf Village or the Kusanabe Clan will perish then and there by the Uchiha Clan. Having no choice, Shinta surrendered. Soon after, the Kusanabe Clan began to deteriorate, losing the will to fight after suffering humiliation from the Leaf Village. It was around that time that Shinta and his wife, Yuko, had their first child, Kentaro Kusanabe. Many of the Kusanabe Clan believed that he was the one who would be able to get revenge on the Leaf Village and save the clan from extinction. However, the opposite happened. Kentaro had no talent in ninjutsu because he was unable to control his chakra very well, and his taijutsu skills were average. Three years after the 3rd Great Ninja War, Kentaro had had enough. He slaughtered half of the clan, including his mother, claiming that they were inhumane. After that, he left the clan and became a rogue ninja. A month later, Shinta remarried Tsubasa Yamamoto, a shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Stones. Together, they decided to take over the duty of rebuilding the Kusanabe Clan, while at the same time taking care of Shinta's five year old daughter, Ayame, who was born two years after Kentaro. She still doesn't know anything about her past, her brother, or her birth mother.

…

I couldn't stop crying. I wanted the pain in my heart to stop. And I wanted to kill my brother for what he did. "Are you alright, Ayame-chan, hmmm?" Deidara asked me. I nodded, but continued to cry. Sasori just looked at me. "We should go back to the hideout. Once we get there, we will see what we should do next." Sasori replied. Deidara nodded and stood up. However, I couldn't move. Sasori left the room, but I was frozen in one spot, still staring at the file. "Ayame-chan, Sasori-danna is leaving, hmmm. We should leave too, hmmm." Seeing that I wouldn't budge, Deidara picked me up and put me on his back. I began to cry some more and just hugged Deidara the whole way back.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Hatred**

My POV

When we arrived back at the hideout, Rei-dono was waiting for us. "Did you find any information on the Kyuubi?" He asked. Sasori nodded. "Here's the file on everything so far on the Kyuubi, as well as Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki host." "Excellent. You did well, Sasori and Deidara. You may leave, now." Rei-dono replied, not noticing me on Deidara's back, crying. Sasori and Deidara bowed to him and left the room. When we got to the living room, Kisame, Kakuzu, and Zetsu saw me crying. Deidara put me down on the couch. "Awww…why is she crying, Deidara? Did you turn her down when she asked you if she could make out with you?" Kisame said, smirking. "That's not very nice, Deidara." Kakuzu said, trying to hold back from laughing. Deidara, on the other hand, looked really angry. "Ayame was hurt emotionally and all you two care about is making fun of her? You two have got to be the most insensitive pain in the asses I have ever met, hmmm. Just leave her alone and stop fucking harassing her, hmmm!" Deidara yelled. Kisame and Kakuzu's mouths dropped to the ground. Sasori smirked. I began to stop crying. 'Deidara…thank you.' I thought to myself. "You two have had your fun, and look what happens. Why don't you two leave them alone for the time being?" Sasori told them. Kisame and Kakuzu did just that and left. They headed towards the kitchen. Deidara gave Sasori a thankful look. At that point, Hidan and Itachi came into the living room. "Did you finish your mission?" Itachi asked. "Yes, and we found some vital information regarding the Kyuubi." Sasori replied. Hidan sat next to me on the couch, staring at me as if he's never seen a woman cry before. Itachi then looked at me. "What about you, Ayame. Have you found what you were looking for?" Deidara and Sasori looked at eachother. "…Yes, and I found out the terrible truth about my brother and my clan…" I replied. Deidara looked confused. "Wait, Itachi. How did you know that Ayame was looking for the truth behind her clan when we didn't, hmmm?" Deidara asked. "…It's not that hard to figure out, Deidara. Ayame came to me and asked if she could go on the next mission that came along. I asked her why and she told me. It's as simple as that." Itachi said. Deidara looked angry. "Itachi, is it alright if I go searching for my brother? I have to find him…" I asked him. Itachi just stared at me with his cold eyes. "Are you planning on revenge?" He asked back. I just looked at the ground. "…I don't see why not. But a few of us will have to go with you…" Itachi said. I smiled at him. "We will figure out who goes with you tomorrow…" I nodded, and went off to my room. "Are you sure it's wise for you to be doing that, Itachi-san, without Rei-dono's permission?" Sasori asked Itachi. "Don't worry about that. Besides, I thought her name sounded familiar to me, and now I know why. The Uchiha Clan was the clan that made the Kusanabe Clan surrender, causing them to go extinct." Itachi explained. Sasori and Deidara looked shocked. Hidan looked confused. After their talk, everyone went to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Love**

My POV

The next morning, everyone with the exception of Pein gathered in the living room to discuss the search for my brother. "Alright, we need to discuss who will be going with Ayame-san on her quest to find her brother, Kentaro." Itachi said. "We decided that it shall be a four-man squad, including Ayame-san. That means that three of us will have to go with her." Everyone nodded. I remained silent. "I would like to go with her, hmmm." I looked at Deidara, who was blushing. "I figured as much, so I already put your name on the list, Deidara…" Itachi explained. Everyone smirked, trying to hold back from laughing. "I'll go, too." I looked to see who said that, and I saw that it was Sasori. "Heh, fine. So we have Deidara and Sasori going with you, Ayame, now just one more." Itachi said. "Who?" I asked. Itachi smirked. "Well, through process of elimination. I won't be able to go because I have to cover for you in case Rei-dono gets suspicious. And I don't think you'd want Kisame, Kakuzu, or Zetsu with you, am I right?" I nodded. "This leaves one person left: Hidan…" Everyone looked at Hidan, who wasn't even paying attention to Itachi. He was cleaning his scythe. "…Hidan." Itachi said. "WHAT? Can't you see I'm fucking busy?" Hidan yelled. Everyone stared at me like I must be desperate to go on a mission with Hidan. But I was actually glad that it was Hidan. He was pretty much the only other one that never made fun of me for anything. "So it's settled…you four shall pack up today and leave tomorrow. However, you'll have to return three days from now. That should give you enough time to look for your brother without Rei-dono getting suspicious as to why you left." Itachi said. The four of us nodded, and the meeting adjourned. Kisame, Kakuzu, and Zetsu went to the couch to watch TV, Itachi went into the kitchen, Hidan went to the training area, and Sasori, Deidara, and I went to our rooms.

…

About an hour later, Deidara came into my room. "Hey, Ayame-chan, ready to leave tomorrow, hmmm?" He asked. I nodded. "Yes, Deidara-kun." I opened my eyes and saw that he was staring at me. "What is it, Deidara?" I asked. He continued to stare at me. "Did you mean what you said about loving me, hmmm?" He asked. I was shocked. "Why would you ask me that?" "…I'm not that great, and I just don't see why you would fall in love with someone like me, hmmm…" He replied. I looked at him, and then I kissed him. "I love you because of your personality, and how you cared for me and about my well-being. I call that a true friend…kind of like how Sasori is to you." Deidara looked shocked. "Sasori and me? But he won't hesitate to kill me if I do something wrong, and he constantly embarrasses me, hmmm." I nodded my head. "True, but he did cover for you when the others were making fun of you, and he did get you and me closer to eachother." I giggled, and Deidara smiled at me. "Maybe you're right, hmmm." Deidara then pulled me onto my bed and kissed me, his lips working their way down my neck and his hand slowly working its way up my shirt. When his hand reached its destination, I moaned. He then slowly began to take off my shirt and my bra. I took off his cloak and shirt. He then put his hand on my inner thigh, and I felt something lick me. I moaned some more. His other hand touched my breast, and I saw a mouth on his hand that was licking my breast. Deidara then kissed me, and our tongues met. When we unhooked our mouths, he got up. "It's getting late; you should get some rest, hmmm." Deidara said. "Okay, see you tomorrow, Deidara." I said back to him. "I love you, Ayame-chan, hmmm." "I love you, too…Deidara." He handed me my shirt and left. 'I love you…'


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The Pursuit**

My POV

Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, and I had already left to find my brother. "Do you even know where to look, Ayame?" Sasori said. "We should go back to where I used to live, the Kusanabe Clan. There might be some valuable information there." I told him. "But wouldn't your family try and kill you, hmmm?" Deidara asked. "Hopefully not, but if they do, I can repel any attack. I think I mastered my Kekkei Genkai enough to do that." I replied.

…

When we finally got there, I saw that things were going as usual. People farming and shopping and I saw some kids practicing to control the Boshigan. "Are you sure you want to go down there?" Sasori asked. "…No turning back now." I told him. When the four of us walked onto the land of the Kusanabe Clan, I saw shinobi from my clan come at us with weapons. "Die, intruders!" One of the shinobi said. However, I repelled the attack with my eyes. "What, the Boshigan? Everyone, run! It's Ayame!" And with that, people started to run. 'Sigh' "This isn't getting us anywhere…" Hidan said. He then grabbed the nearest child he could get his hands on. "Ahhhh! Mommy!" The child screamed out. A woman turned around and saw in horror as Hidan reached for his scythe. "Suzume!" Everyone from the Kusanabe Clan stared at me and Hidan. "Alright, all you fucking people are going to give Ayame what she fucking came here for. Either that or this girl will breathe her last breath…" Hidan yelled. The mother started to cry, and the child was petrified with terror. The new leader of the Kusanabe Clan, who happened to be my father's younger brother, Kisuke, came forward. "What is it that you are searching for…Ayame?" He asked me. "I want to know some information on the whereabouts of my brother, Kentaro." I told him. Everyone in the Kusanabe Clan gasped. "How did you find out about Kentaro?" Kisuke asked. "I have my ways…" I replied. "…Come with me." He said. Sasori, Deidara, Hidan, and I followed him to the Kusanabe Clan Information Facility. Hidan put the child down and the child ran to her mother. We sat down at a table surrounded by a dozen file cabinets holding information from the different shinobi villages to rogue ninja. "We kept track of your brother ever since he left the Kusanabe Clan. Here is everywhere that he has been and on what day he went to those places for the past three weeks. If you notice, there is a pattern." He hands me a paper on everywhere Kentaro traveled the past three weeks:

Sunday, week 1: relaxes under a tree in the Land of Fire

Monday, week 1: Tanzaku Town-went to eat

Tuesday, week 1: Hot Springs Village-went to relax

Wednesday, week1: travels toward the Rain Village

Thursday, week 1: arrives in the Rain Village

Friday, week 1: stays in the Rain Village to shop for more weapons, then leaves

Saturday, week 1: kills a random man and his two children, leaves their corpses

Sunday, week 2: -

Monday, week 2: gets injured during a fight with other rogue shinobi

Tuesday, week 2: heads toward the Hot Springs Village

Wednesday, week 2: Hot Springs Village-went to heal his injuries

Thursday, week 2: stays in Hot Springs Village

Friday, week 2: -

Saturday, week 2: -

Sunday, week 3: gets hired to fight off some bandits off the borders of the Land of Tea

Monday, week 3: -

Tuesday, week 3: training to use his Boshigan, as well as doing chakra control exercises

Wednesday, week 3: heads toward the Hot Springs Village

Thursday, week 3: Hot Springs Village-more chakra training exercises

Friday, week 3: stays in Hot Springs Village

Saturday, week 3: stays in Hot Springs Village

As I was looking at the list, I did notice something. "How come that he always goes to the Hot Springs Village?" I asked. Kisuke shrugged. "That's not the only pattern. If you look closely, on week 1 he went to the Hot Springs Village on Tuesday. On week 2 he went to the Hot Springs Village on Wednesday. And on week 3 he went to the Hot Springs Village on Thursday." He explained. He then looked at Hidan, who had a face of anger. "That means that he will most likely go to the Hot Springs Village again on Friday this week, which is the day after tomorrow…the day we are supposed to return to the Akatsuki hideout." Sasori said. "We'll make it, hmmm." Deidara said. "But we don't even know how to get there." I told them. Then Kisuke gave a suggestion. "Why don't you ask the one with silver hair? His headband says that he used to be from the Hot Springs Village back when it was still a ninja village." We looked at Hidan, hoping that he will guide us. "Hmph…fine! But I hate that fucking village!" "That settles that, then." Sasori agreed. We then set out to go to the Hot Springs Village.

…

It was getting late, and we stopped at a nearby town. "Can we get a hotel room or something? I can't stand walking any fucking longer!" Hidan complained. "I agree, we should find a place to stay the night. It is getting late." I said. Sasori looked angry, mainly because he was the only one with money to pay for the hotel room. He agreed to pay for a room, and we managed to get a room with three beds. Sasori and Deidara decided to get some training in before they went to sleep, so Hidan and I were the only ones in the room.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Misunderstanding**

My POV

Hidan and I were sitting on our beds eating some onigiri. "Why did Deidara and Sasori leave?" I asked. "They wanted to get some training in." Hidan grumbled, stuffing an onigiri in his mouth in the process. "We should do the same, Hidan. We don't know what we'll face, and it's best to get more powerful." I said. Hidan didn't look thrilled. "I don't feel like leaving this room." "Okay, then how about we train in here? No ninjutsu or genjutsu, just taijutsu?" I told him. He thought it over and said, "Meh…fine. But no fucking weapons, Ayame." I nodded. Then, we began our "training". I tried to punch him in the stomach, but he dodged the blow. However, I used that as an opportunity to try and kick his face. He grabbed my foot and hurled me at the wall. When I hit the wall, I felt a sharp pain in my back. I then used my fast speed to get behind Hidan and punched him in the back. Unfortunately, he didn't feel much pain (stupid immortals). "Is that all you fucking got? This will be over quick." Hidan told me. He then tackled me to the floor, holding onto my shoulders. I tried to get loose, but he was too strong. "Say you surrender." Hidan told me. I gave him the "spare me" look. I then tripped him and I sat on his stomach while holding down his arms and legs, making sure that he wasn't able to move. "Now it's your turn to…" I heard the door open, and Sasori was there (…again) with Deidara. Deidara looked hurt and ran off. Sasori just sighed. "What were you two doing? This place is a mess." "I wanted to practice my taijutsu, but Hidan didn't want to leave the room, so we practiced in here." I replied. "You two are paying for the damages." Sasori said. I got off of Hidan and Hidan stood up. "…Hey, where'd Deidara go?" I asked Sasori. Sasori looked around. "Huh. I'm pretty sure he followed me up here…maybe he saw you on top of Hidan and ran off?" Sasori then looked at me with his bored looking eyes. My eyes widened. "But we weren't doing _anything_, just practicing taijutsu." I told Sasori. "Deidara always comes in at the worst fucking times." Hidan explained. 'Deidara, it was all a misunderstanding…forgive me.' I thought to myself. I tried to look for Deidara, but Sasori held me back. "What are you doing? I have to set things straight with Deidara!" I yelled. Sasori stared at me. "Why don't you leave Deidara alone for the time being?" I nodded and went into bed, still thinking of Deidara. Sasori was staring at the stars as usual, and Hidan already fell asleep. I fell asleep pretty quickly, too…

Deidara's POV

I couldn't believe what I just saw…Ayame was **on top of** Hidan. How could she do that to me? I feel like my heart got ripped out of my chest. 'Why, Ayame-chan, hmmm?' I thought to myself as I walked along the dirt road of the town…


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Mending a Broken Heart**

My POV

It was morning and I realized that Deidara wasn't back yet. I stared glumly out the window. Hidan was still sleeping, and Sasori was sitting on the floor. I got out of bed to make some breakfast. "Ayame, you're awake early." Sasori said. I remained quiet.

…

It was already noon and Deidara still wasn't back. I began to get worried. At that point, Hidan woke up and was complaining as usual. "When are we going to fucking leave?" Hidan whined. I was in no hurry to leave for two reasons: one, Deidara wasn't back yet. And two, my back was still in pain from Hidan throwing me against the wall. Sasori saw me wince in pain. "What's the matter, Ayame-san?" Sasori asked. "I injured my back during the training with Hidan." Sasori then looked at my back. "I'm going to have to take off your shirt in order to put on some bandages…Hidan, go away for now." Sasori said. Hidan grumbled and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. While Sasori was putting the bandages around me, Deidara walked into the room. "Where were you, Deidara?" Sasori demanded. I looked up and saw Deidara staring at me. "…What happened to you, hmmm?" Deidara asked me. "I got injured. Hidan threw me against the wall." Deidara sat next to me, helping Sasori put on my bandages. Sasori smirked. "I have to go and buy some more bandages. I trust that the three of you will be fine." Sasori said. Deidara and I nodded, and Sasori left. "What were you doing with Hidan in here, Ayame-chan, hmmm?" Deidara asked me. "We decided to do some taijutsu training, but it got a little out of hand, which led me getting thrown against the wall." I replied. Deidara looked at me. "Then what were you doing on top of Hidan, hmmm?" He asked me. I tried to hold back from crying. "…I was trying to immobilize him by pinning down his arms and legs." I told him. Deidara just stared at me, and then he hugged me. "Whaaa…?" I replied. Deidara smiled at me and kissed me. "I'm glad it wasn't what I thought it was, hmmm. I love you, Ayame-chan, and no one else can have you." I sobbed, and then hugged him back. "I love you too, Deidara." We then kissed until we couldn't breathe. Then Sasori walked in, holding a roll of bandages. "It's nice to see that you two made up. Ayame, come here so I can put these bandages on you." Sasori said. I nodded while holding Deidara's hand.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Arrival**

My POV

We had been traveling for what felt like forever, until we finally made it to the Hot Springs Village. "Wow, it's incredible! There's hot springs everywhere." I said. "That's why it's called the HOT SPRINGS Village, idiot!" Hidan yelled. "…smart ass." I grumbled. Hidan rolled his eyes and took off his headband. "Where do you think we should look first, hmmm?" Deidara asked. Sasori shrugged and started walking away. "Hey, Sasori-danna, where are you going, hmmm?" Deidara yelled to him. "I saw someone that would make an excellent puppet…" Sasori said. Deidara eyes widened (O.O). Just then, we heard a crash followed by someone yelling. "Help! Thief!" A woman shrieked. Hidan, Deidara, and I ran to the scene. We saw someone running off with what looked like medication. The thief was running towards us. Deidara tried to stop him by using one of his clay bombs, but he repelled it with his eyes. "It can't be…the Boshigan?" I yelled. That was when the thief stopped. He then grabbed me and knocked me out, then carried me away. "Ayame-chan!" Deidara yelled. But it was too late. I was nowhere to be seen…

Deidara's POV

"We have to find her, hmmm." I said. Hidan shrugged. "Sure, just tell me where you suppose she could be, you fucking retard!" Hidan yelled. "Hidan, go find Sasori-danna. I'll search for Ayame-chan, hmmm." I told him. He nodded and ran off. 'Don't worry, Ayame…I'll find you.'

Sasori's POV

'Finally, I found a puppet worthy of my collection.' I thought to myself as I teleported the body back to the hideout. Just then, Hidan came. "Sasori, Ayame was captured by a thief." Hidan told me. "What? Where's Deidara?" I asked. Hidan glared at me. "Where do you think, idiot? He went to go look for his fucking girlfriend!" Hidan yelled. Hidan and I went racing after Deidara…

Itachi's POV

'Damn it…Rei-dono's going to get pissed if those four don't come back in time.' I thought to myself. "Hey, Itachi, you should get a girlfriend too, like Deidara." Kisame smirked. I glared at him. "Sorry, Kisame, I don't go out with men…or fish." Kakuzu and Zetsu burst out laughing. Kisame walked away. 'I hate my life.'


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Reunion**

My POV

'Uhhh…' My stomach hurt really badly. It must have been when that thief carried me off. Where am I? It looks like a forest. "So, you're awake, Ayame…" I turned around and saw a young man staring at me. He had black hair and red eyes just like mine. I just stared at him. Since he saw I wasn't going to talk, he decided to talk to me. "I haven't seen you since you were an infant…you sure have grown." At those words, I started to cry. "Why, brother? Why did you betray the Kusanabe Clan?" I asked him. He began to look at me. "I could ask you the same question." I began to tremble. "I accidentally killed my mother and father…" I said. He looked shocked. "I didn't know you had it in you." He replied. I became enraged. "Don't change the subject, Kentaro! Why did _**you**_ betray the clan? Answer me!" He looked away. "The Kusanabe Clan got what they deserved. They were inhumane, only caring about themselves and how much power they have. They only thought of me as a tool to get revenge on the Leaf Village. I am no one's tool, and I taught them that, years ago when I slaughtered half of the clan, including our birth mother, Ayame…" Strangely enough, I couldn't deny what he was saying. Father had only cared about me being strong and mastering my Boshigan. He wouldn't hesitate to kill me. And my mother was too terrified of him to go against him. "…I agree, they are inhumane, but did you really have to go to those lengths to prove something?" I asked. He nodded, and then started to walk away. "Hey, where are you going?" I yelled. "I'm going to get something for you to eat. You look fatigued." He said. And with that, he left, leaving me in the middle of a dense forest lying against a tree.

Deidara's POV

'Don't worry, I'll find you Ayame. And when I do, I promise to never leave you again…' I thought to myself. "Hey, Deidara!" I look over my shoulder and see that Sasori and Hidan have caught up with me. "It's about time you two found me, hmmm." I said. Hidan rolled his eyes and Sasori looked like he wanted to punch me. "Have you found a lead that might lead us to Ayame?" Sasori asked. I shook my head. "It'll take us forever to look for her in this fucking forest!" Hidan yelled. I looked at him. "Not so loud, hmmm. You might attract some unwanted guests." All of a sudden, I felt a jolt of lightning in the air. The chakra felt like…Ayame's! "I think I know where Ayame-chan is, hmmm." Sasori and Hidan looked at eachother and followed me.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Forgive Me**

My POV

Kentaro finally returned, carrying a few fish. He started a fire, and I was getting hungry. "You look awfully thin, maybe you should eat." Kentaro said to me. I scowled at him, but I caved in to my hunger and took one. "Ayame, I have tried to find a way for my life to end, and I think I found a way…" Kentaro replied with hatred showing in his words. "Why do you want your life to end?" I asked. He began to cry. "…Once you soil your hands with blood and murder, it starts to eat away at you, until you can't take it anymore. It's painful and I don't want to live with this burden on my shoulders." I remained silent. I began to think of what I did to my parents. "But…I killed our dad and my mom, and I don't feel pain." Kentaro looked at me. "…Perhaps because you found a reason for living." I didn't know what he meant by that. All of a sudden, Kentaro attacked me with a kunai. "Kentaro! What are you doing?" I yelled. "I have finally found a way to die, but I am going to take you with me!" At his words, I took out my own kunai and we clashed. I tried to use my lightning jutsu on him, but it had no effect. I then felt a sharp pain in my side. I looked down to see Kentaro's kunai in my side. "Ugh!" I fell to the ground in pain. "Goodbye, Ayame…" At that moment, I began to feel the pain. 'Was I going to die?' I thought. Just then, I heard an explosion, followed by blades smashing against one another. "Ayame-chan!" I heard Deidara yell. I tried to get up. "Sasori-danna, take care of Ayame-chan, hmmm." Deidara said. Sasori nodded. When I looked toward Deidara, he was standing beside me, looking at me. I turned my head and saw that Kentaro was fighting Hidan, while Sasori was bandaging me up. "So, you must be friends of Ayame." Kentaro replied. Hidan, Deidara, and Sasori remained silent. I looked at him and said, "Why do you want to kill me, Kentaro?" He looked at me, but said nothing. However, I did see something in his eyes: forgiveness. He smiled slightly at me, and pointed at Deidara. "I want to fight you, next." Deidara smirked. "You'll pay for hurting Ayame-chan, hmmm." Kentaro's smile faded, while mine grew. 'Deidara…' The next thing I knew, they were running towards each other, and Deidara threw a bomb at him, severely injuring him. He lay crumpled next to a tree. "You can't move now, hmmm? Be grateful, you're about to die by my art." Deidara exclaimed. Kentaro looked at me. "I'm about to die, but before I do, I have to tell you something, Ayame." I went over to him. "Ayame, you shouldn't move with your injuries." Sasori said. I ignored him. "…Before I left the Kusanabe Clan, I took this with me…please forgive me. If I hadn't taken it, you would have known about me before any of this even happened." I looked down at it and started to cry. It was a family picture. In it were my father, birth mother, and me, with Kentaro by my side. We were both smiling. "I forgive you, Kentaro." I said, still crying. Deidara kneeled beside me, holding my arm. "…You remember that conversation we had before this fight?" I nodded. "But I still don't know what you meant by a reason for living." I replied. He shook his head and calmly replied, "Your reason for living is right beside you…holding onto your arm." I blushed and turned to Deidara. He began to blush, too. Kentaro began to chuckle. "My reason for living was revenge…your reason for living, even your reason for fighting, is love, Ayame. And as long as you have that reason for living, you will never feel pain." I smiled at him. "This really is goodbye, Ayame…" I stopped crying, and watched as Kentaro's life slowly faded away. Deidara then hugged me. "I'll always be there for you, Ayame-chan, hmmm." He said. I hugged him back. "…I know, Deidara." "Hey, we should get back to the hideout before Itachi kills us." Sasori said. Hidan rolled his eyes. Deidara nodded, as did I. After about a day, we finally made it back to the Akatsuki hideout.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Love is an Art**

My POV

We made it back to the Akatsuki hideout. Itachi was waiting for us. "It's a good thing Rei-dono hasn't come back yet…" Itachi said. I noticed that he was irritated about something. When we walked in, I saw why. Kisame and Kakuzu were drunk as hell, sprawled across the floor like dead men. Zetsu was watching television. "I refuse to help him today, that damn heathen." Hidan said. I assumed he was talking about Kakuzu. "I'm going to sleep." Hidan said, walking to his room. Itachi went to the training grounds as usual, dragging Kisame across the floor. Sasori decided to watch TV with Zetsu. I was going to go to my room. Deidara was following me. "What, Deidara?" I said. "What did you and your brother talk about, hmmm?" He replied. "Just issues that I wanted to discuss with him. Family stuff." I said, still holding onto the picture he gave me. Deidara then held me in his arms. "Don't feel sorry for what you did, or what you could've done. Besides, if you never did what you did, chances are we would've never met, hmmm." Deidara said, smiling. I smiled back at him. "Love is an art, Ayame-chan. It takes time to master, but if you do master it, it ends with an explosion, hmmm." I giggled at his words. He then kissed me and slowly leaned me back on my bed. He kissed me again, and our tongues touched for the third time. I didn't want him to stop. He then caressed my cheek with his hand, while his other hand slowly went up my shirt. I moaned. I never wanted the feeling to go away. He took off my shirt and gently laid on me, still kissing me. I was still thinking about my family, but I soon stopped thinking, because I didn't have to worry anymore. Deidara is my reason for living, now, not my family ties. When he unlocked his lips from mine, I went on top of him and hugged him. "I love you Deidara." I said. He looked at me. "I love you too, hmmm." Ever since then, my life changed. I felt free of the chains that were holding me back. The feeling of guilt from killing my parents and not saving my brother went away, all because of my reason for living. And even though it is tough with obstacles along the way, what Deidara said to me was true in my eyes: Love is indeed an art.


End file.
